The last of Ollie for December 2011

Here are the Ollie Adventures that happened for the rest of his time at our home this year.  :)  He must have had too much candy the day before because it appears he wasn't feeling well. 







We found him making snow angels in the sugar at Grandma Patton's house.  What a mess-maker!  The cousins had a great time looking for him!














This is how we found Ollie on the morning he left.  It would appear he was trying to get a hold of some marbles?  He had a climbing harness and a rope made of garbage bag ties and had recruited a buddy to help to lower him in.  :) 

 Ollie has gone home until next December.  I kind of miss him.

Too much sugar!!

Ollie seems to have gotten into Ethan's halloween candy! 

Tomorrow morning is our family's Christmas.  We'll be opening our gifts for each other in the morning so we don't have to take them all to grandma and grandpa Patton's house.  Ethan can hardly wait!  I'm sure we'll all be up very early in the morning.  :)

My favorite so far....

Ollie watched "Elf" last night.  He got all set up with Sprite, popcorn and a comfy chair.

Package Peeking

Ollie got into a bit of trouble tonight.  Ethan fell asleep and hasn't seen it yet, but in the morning, I guess he gets to open our family gift because Ollie already did.  :)  Silly Ollie.  He's one silly Elf.

Christmas Break!!

We have finally hit Christmas break and we are SO excited about it!  We have big plans for crafting, baking, looking at Christmas lights and otherwise establishing traditions and a sense of "holiday cheer" in our tiny man.  :)  Ollie has been busy the last couple of nights.

 On the night of the 16th of December, he held a race with other toys in our living room.  They built their own finish line and raced towards it.  :)

 On the next night, he got into our cupboard and found the cookies Ethan had bought at the store.  He had eaten them all when we woke up to find him upside down in the cookie box. 

This morning we woke up to find that Ollie had spent the night making paper snowflakes.  he wrote us a note saying that maybe his paper snowflakes would help to bring a few real ones and then the skiing would be better.  He said he hoped that Ethan had a great day skiing with his dad yesterday and wished us a great day.  He sure made a big mess, but Ethan and I spent the morning adding to the mess and learning to make paper snowflakes.  It was a wonderful time!  :)  Thanks, Ollie for the idea!

I'm off to see what adventures we can find today.....

JC Woodworks: as local as it gets

So, Sam and I have been having this conversation lately about buying local.  In thinking on this topic and talking through it with Sam, I am really quite proud of JC Woodworks in it's choice to be as local as possible.  Not only do they do business with other local businesses, but they donate to local causes and serve on committees for La Grande Main Street with intentions to eventually join the Chamber and sponsor soccer teams.  :)

La Grande has a LOT of locally owned businesses that are vital to our community and the economy within it.  Bugs and Butterflies, Grande Ronde Med Spa, Fitzgerald's Flowers, The Potter's House, Rosewood Cottage, Serendipity, The Mountain Works, Hobby Habit, Cold Coffee Media, and many, many more. Owned and operated by people who live and shop here in our valley!

It came up the other day because I was telling Sam that I was quite proud of JC Woodworks in their efforts to always buy local whenever possible.  All the construction, repair and remodel on the showroom and shop came from local contractors, plumbers, and electricians.  All the parts, paints, electrical and plumbing supplies, heck, even the light bulbs were purchased locally from locally owned business like La Grande Paint and Glass and G and V Supply.  The vinyl lettering for our windows were ordered and installed by La Grande Quick Print and our large sign up front was done by Grande Ronde Sign Company.  JC Woodworks orders their wood, lacquer, hardware, and other supplies specific to what they build from outside of the valley as that is where they need it to come from.  However, anything they can purchase locally, they do.  Right down to their printer ink coming from Swartz Ink and their office supplies coming from The Copy Club.  It costs minimally more to purchase locally, but the benefits far outweigh those costs.

The other part of JC Woodworks is that their lumber comes in as planks directly from the tree.  All of the work that goes into making them into beautiful items for people's homes (cabinets, beds, chairs, dressers, etc) is done right on site at 1415 Jefferson by our skilled, hard-working guys!  That means they start by making the plank of rough wood into a piece of wood that can be used for such items.  Then they cut, sand, assemble, and spray finish according to the design put together by their customer with help and the eye of our very own Mr. Sam.  :)


JC Woodworks is about as local a company as any can be and I am very proud of that fact! 

14 balloons

This is what we found when we woke up this morning!  Ollie had decided to try a little hot air ballooning!  Apparently, it took 14 balloons to get him in the air.  Ethan recognized the balloons as the ones available from the Dollar Tree and for a while we contemplated that.....

We are still having a lot of fun with our Ollie the Elf project and my friend suggested that I might need an elf for every month and that maybe I will miss Ollie more than Ethan will when Christmas comes and it's time for him to go.  That might actually be true.  :)

In other news: Ross and Katie are visiting to get their engagement photos taken here in La Grande.  They got in yesterday and we had a great time playing games and sharing wine last night.  They also got to come to Ethan's school program, which made Ethan feel like a million bucks.

Today is the last day of school for Grande Ronde Academy before the Christmas break.  Ethan's excited for his class party.  I volunteered to help and am looking forward to it as well.  We have a fun weekend planned and Sunday will be Sam's first day of ski patrol at Anthony Lakes for the year.  There's not a lot of snow up there.  He's taking Ethan with him and they are both looking forward to going.  I have a board gathering that morning, so I will have to miss this one.  But we plan to be on the ski hill every Sunday this season.

Now I'm off to have another cup of coffee and enjoy the quiet and hopefully visit with Ross and Katie (if they ever wake up......).

Ollie's latest shenanigans...

Ollie made Ethan two angry birds.  The yellow one was first and then the next night, he made him the "bomb" bird.  Ethan was so very excited to get them and was hoping that Ollie would do all of the birds from one of his favorite games!  :)

Last night, Ollie decided to have a little fun with our family photo from a few years ago.  He did some funny stuff and Ethan thought it was pretty funny!  Luckily, it was erasable!

 

This is what Ethan will find when he wakes up in the morning.  Ollie saw the little bathtub that holds our lotions and toothpaste and thought it might make a perfect bathtub for a bubble bath for himself this evening.  He even found himself a mini-wash cloth and a couple rubber duckies.  :)

My good friend SBW

I wanted to take a minute this morning and write about my friend Sarahbeth.  We went out for lunch yesterday and talked, laughed until we cried, and enjoyed some wonderful conversation (and the food was TO DIE for!) and catching up.  I told her that I had been bragging about her a couple days previous and was actually a little bit shocked to find that she was really quite surprised by the idea.  She couldn't understand why I would brag about her.  Sarahbeth was in an accident and burned over 50% of her body about 3 1/2 years ago.  After 36? surgeries, Sarahbeth has good days and bad days, but she's more than just a survivor, she's a fighter.  I thought it interesting that SB would find it strange that I would brag about her.  The more I thought about it, the more I thought that a lot of people probably only see the strong, awesome, rockstar SB and don't know all the reasons she really is incredible....other than surviving her trauma.  I thought I would share some.

1) Funny as hell.  She WILL make you laugh until you cry!  and sometimes it's ever so subtle...you don't even know it's coming!
2) Open.  She doesn't hide much.  She's open about her scars, her healing process, her feelings, her emotions, how she feels about the friendship you share with her, all her dreams and passions.  That is a rare find in a friend these days.  We are all so filtered.
3) Honest.  SB doesn't sugar-coat things.  She tells how it is.  Don't get me wrong, she's super nice, but she also has an honesty about her that is refreshing.  It's one of the things I love most of all.  She'll tell you her honest opinions and feelings.  She is also honest about her feelings and that is also rare.
4) Talented.  Before the accident, SB did many things.  She was a musician, a swimmer, an actress...her dream is to be back in that life someday and she's doing the dedicated hard work it will take her to get there.  Those talents were not burned in the fire.  She spends her time these days crafting, playing piano and singing, and doing what she can from the comfort of her home in the body she has right now and every month, that body gets more and more cooperative.
5) Dedicated.  She is dedicated!  Dedicated to her healing, dedicated to her friends, dedicated to her recovery.  I have rarely seen such focus in anyone else I know.
6) The best fan EVER!  If you ever have a fan club, you want my friend SBW to head it up!  She has never missed an episode of Criminal Minds (not even re-runs) and I have seen her get up before the sun to watch Rafa play tennis.  I doubt she has missed a match.  However, there is no comparison to her love and support for Jack White.  :)  The man of her dreams!  :)
7) Brave.  This is where I will put all the awesome rock-star SB things that the fire has brought out in her.  She is just about the bravest person I know.  She experiences fear and lots of it, but she doesn't let fear stand in her way.  She goes in for surgery after surgery knowing that her body doesn't heal the way it should.  Knowing that she is a "hard stick" for nurses and difficult to intubate. Yet, she goes in and lets Dr. Garrett work his magic in spite of her fears.  I think that is the definition of brave.


I really could go on and on, but mostly I wanted to record some of the feelings I have for my friend Sarahbeth and let the world know that I think she's incredible and I consider myself very lucky to be her friend!  If anyone reading this blog wants to get to know Sarahbeth, CLICK HERE to read her blog.  You can also find her on facebook.  She's a great friend...everyone should have one like her.  :)

This is better than Santa! :)

I haven't posted an Ollie update in a while, so I'll do that first.  :)

 Ollie decided to read a lot of Ethan's books overnight on the night of the 9th. He must have had plenty of work to do on the evening of the 10th because we found him sitting on the kitchen table where we left him (after a few glasses of wine and some pinochle with friends) the night before.


Last night, he made Ethan a perler bead angry bird.  Ethan was pretty darned worried this morning when he couldn't find Ollie.  We looked everywhere!  We even checked downstairs and on top of the hutch...everywhere and we couldn't find him.  Then we saw him sitting on the table in the spare bedroom and he had made this great present for Ethan.  Which made Ethan's morning!!  :)

Ethan has written Ollie a letter and we'll see if Ollie writes back today.

As for other goings-on, I just finished submitting my grades and am officially on Christmas break!  :)  I plan on reading, finishing up gifts, reading some more.  There will probably be some cleaning, laundry, and rotating my tires in there as well, but we'll just focus on the cup of coffee and a book for now.  :)  I'm sure I'll get bored soon enough.

We are heading to Sam's parent's house in Goldendale for Christmas and I am really looking forward to it!  I really am.  That's not even sarcasm.  :)  It's been AGES since everyone has been together for Christmas and I'm excited for Ethan to have a slew of cousins to play with.  At my mom's house, he's the oldest grandkid and at this house, he's in with the crowd of "youngers".  I'm looking forward to him spending some time with everyone.  We have pictures on our fridge, but that is just not the same.  :)  I'm looking forward to seeing everyone as well.  I do have a few things I am a little worried about, but I don't plan to spend a lot of time dwelling on them.  We will be taking Ollie with us as he said he's here until Christmas day.  I hope it doesn't create too much of a problem.  Sam's family never really celebrated "Santa" although, other than Christmas being focused on the birth of Jesus and the important religious celebrating, I'm not sure why.  I hope it's not the dis-approval of the idea of an elf that comes to your house while you are sleeping.  :)  I figure that Ollie really isn't all that different than the idea behind the movie Toy Story.  You can't tell me that you haven't wondered if your house comes to life when you aren't there to see it.  :)

I am looking forward to catching up with the in-laws.  It's been far too long since we have been together.  I am sure we can all get along for a few days.  :)

Well, I'm off to enjoy the rest of this cup of coffee and then...a tutoring session on the tips and tricks of Quickbooks with a friend from Baker City.

Hot Chocolate, Finals Week, and JC Woodworks

Ollie left Ethan some hot chocolate and his name in marshmallows this morning.  He seems to have had a little trouble getting the cocoa IN the cup as it was all over the counter, but Ethan was really happy and grateful that he thought of him.

On another note, I gave my last final yesterday at 3:00 for both my voice classes.  The singing went well and mostly I was really excited for the progress that each person had made.  It's fun to watch them accomplish so much in 10 weeks and have them seem pretty proud of what they have done.  I know I was pretty proud of them!

The other update is that JC Woodworks has taken off at a pretty steady and consistent rate!  We opened our doors October 22nd and since that time, they have sold several kitchens, a few commercial cabinet sets, some bathroom vanities, and a good number of custom furniture pieces including a dressing chair, a set of mirrors, some bookshelves, etc.  On the money side, we are all taking home our planned-for income per month AND paying all the bills with the money that comes in so far.  :)  It's all in the "still scary" place financially and we are hoping that in the coming months, we can build up a little bit of a cushion to help ward off any mishaps.  They guys are working well together so far.  Everyone wants to make more money, but that is a little farther down the road before that can happen.  I am happy and Sam seems happier than he has been in a long time.  He gets along with his partners, enjoys the work, and is making a living doing what he loves.

So, with that update, I will get down to grading.  I will be reading papers and grading notebooks from the studio for most of the day in order to get my grades turned in on time.  I'm looking forward to the end of this term as it's going to be an extra-long break!!  EOU doesn't start up again until January 9th!!  That's an entire month off!!!  :)  YAYAYAYAY! 

Trouble

Ethan came running into our room this morning calling out that we just HAD to come and see this!  Turns out, Ollie got a little bored last night and rounded up some friends to play with him.

Ollie's Here!!

Well, Ollie has arrived!  He's all set up in the kitchen with a project for our family to do together this evening.  :)

I am really excited to have Ollie here for the rest of December and I know that Ethan will be when he gets home from school!  :)  Tavi came over to play yesterday and it was one of the only things they could talk about.  Neither of our households do "Santa", but it is fun to have something they get excited about!  Tavi's family is Romanian, so they have Saint Nicholas Day and he comes and leaves them treats in their shoes.  Ollie and Nikoli were the topic of conversation yesterday.

The tree is up at our house.  The outside lights are on the list of things to do this weekend and there is a bit of snow on the ski hill.  I think the winter and the Christmas season have finally begun!  I'm finishing up finals week today and tomorrow and hoping to settle in to some fun stuff during the (extra long) break!

Cookies, cakes, and transitions

Well, Ollie left us a note again today.  It's clear he's been checking in even if he's not here yet.  :) It would seem he was trying to help me with my menu.  He left Ethan a note and a picture and a cool lego contraption in his room.

On another note...my little Eman gets a new teacher today.  I love his school very much and so does he, but it's hard to switch teachers in the middle of the year and this is the second year it a row.  I'm sure he'll do just fine, but it took some getting used to for him last time and I am anticipating the same this year.  He was a little anxious about school this morning even though he knows the new teacher (she's been in his classroom for a couple weeks now).  What is it about us as humans that makes new things so hard?  New friends, jobs, schools, teachers. cities.  It's hard to transition.  I'm sure he'll do ok and he loves Mrs. Trotter, but he is already missing Mrs. Fager.  Time will help.  And maybe Ollie.  :)

Day 2 and 3 of Ollie the Elf

 This is the letter we got in response on December 2nd.  He's glad we already know about Santa.  He does live in the North Pole for real.  And he'll be here next week!!

Ethan is LOVING this!  Yesterday (Dec. 2nd) he told me that what he REALLY wanted for Christmas was to have his own Elf on the Shelf every Christmas.  :)  He gets up every day and talks about what he thinks Ollie will say today.  It's been really fun so far and I can't wait until Ollie comes so it can only get better!








Ethan left this note on his magnet board for Ollie this morning.  It was sitting on the couch.  He's been working on the robot for a couple of days now and he was happy to have it done and ready for Ollie.     Here is Ethan's note "hi oulli.  Jest to let you no that the robot next to the heator is for you. love your friend Ethan."

 At some point during the morning when we were making breakfast, Ollie came to visit and left Ethan this "Thanks! I'll leave it here.  Hey, practice piano today without fighting with your mom! =)"

Ethan's having a blast!  We'll see how it progresses.  :)

Ollie the Elf (on a Shelf)

I know it's been a while since I've blogged, but I'd like to keep track of this fun adventure, so I'll be posting updates.  :)  Ethan and I recently read about the idea of an "Elf on the Shelf".  I have heard friends talk about doing it with their families as well.  The idea is one that kind of takes the place of an advent calendar.  An elf comes to live in your house on December first and stays until Christmas giving regular updates to Santa about your behavior to make sure you get on the right list.  :)  Well, I loved this idea.  The idea of something/someone watching over you wanting you to be your best.  I love it on the real and tangible level and I love it on the bigger, philosophical level as well.  I wanted to do "Elf on the Shelf" with my family, but was finding it difficult to wrap my head around because of many reasons.  First of all, we've never really done the "Santa" think with Ethan.  My house did believe in Santa growing up and Sam's didn't and we just kind of went with no Santa for Ethan.  Not for any religious reasons, we just didn't play the part.  I'm not against Santa, it just hasn't become a tradition in our home.

So, I decided to go ahead with the elf on the shelf idea but to tweak it a bit to fit our family and maybe lean even a little more towards the philosophical "be a better person" ideal than the "22 more days until presents" side.  So....I went online and got a few ideas and bought us an elf.  Just today (Dec. 1st!).  :)  So....already off to a different start.   I bought the "C" version because I love his checkered pants.  I also bought 2 in case something happens to the first one. :)  He is about 9"-11" tall and has wire in his arms and legs so he can be manipulated to do all kinds of things during the night while we are asleep.  :)

Then, I named him Ollie and wrote a letter to Ethan on his behalf with my left hand letting him know that he was coming to stay until Christmas and would be letting Santa know if Ethan should be on the Nice list or the Naughty list.  Then Ollie told Ethan that he needed to stay in the North Pole (aka Prescott, Arizona) for a few more days to finish up a few things, but that he would be down sometime next week to stay and he would be coming to check in daily until then.  Here's the letter from Day one. "Ethan, My name is Ollie and I am your elf.  I was sent by Santa to watch you until Christmas to make sure you can be on the nice list.  I am to live at your house and report back to Santa each night after you're asleep.  I checked in today and saw you had fun with Vanessa.  I can't come to stay yet because Santa has some things for me to do before I can leave.  I will be checking in each day and should be at your house in a few days to stay until Christmas.  Until then, watch for my letters every day and know that I'm checking in on you.  Behave yourself.  See you soon, Ollie the Elf."

Ethan was CRAZY when he found it in the Christmas tree.  He knows about "Elf on a Shelf" and wondered if maybe we got one this year!?  :)  He was going around the house looking to make sure that Ollie hadn't left anything else.  He asked about every ornament that he hadn't put on the tree to be sure that it was originally ours.  :)  He is so very excited.  So, I asked Ethan if maybe he wanted to ask Ollie just a couple questions and see if he would write back.  I also suggested that maybe we should let Ollie know that we already know the secret about how me and dad are really Santa so he knows that we already know.  Ethan loved the idea and between the two of us, we came up with this letter back to Ollie that is currently on the tree waiting to be found by Ollie tomorrow when he comes to check in.  :)

"Dear Ollie, are you an 'elf on the shelf'?  Did you leave us something or just the note?  Hope to see you soon, travel safe.  Ethan.  PS.  Will we actually SEE you when you do finally get here?  Thanks.
Here is a picture for you (found at the bottom...it's Ollie and Ethan....fast friends).  PS.  from mom: Ethan already knows that Santa isn't real.  Do you really live in the North Pole or were you just saying that in case Ethan still believed in the pretend Santa like other kids?  When will you let me know about Ethan's behavior?"

I will let you know how it goes tomorrow.  :)  I think our Elf on the Shelf will suggest things that we could do together as well and leave the occasional something fun.  :)  We'll see what kind of personality Ollie gains over time.  This is going to be fun times.  I'm not sure what else Ollie will say or information he will give, but I'm hoping to create an elf that knows the real reason for Christmas and brings that part of Advent to our house as well.  I can tell you one thing.....I think he will get very bored at night and probably do some pretty funny and maybe even naughty things while we are fast asleep.  :)

For now, goodnight.

JC Woodworks opens

Yesterday was the Grand Opening of our new venture!  I'm going to try and explain the coming about of this business without writing an entire book.  :)

About a year and a half ago (or more), Sam and I started talking about him leaving his current employment and started up a business of his own.  I got to do what I love every day and Sam did too, but he had horrible bosses who didn't treat him well and he didn't receive any appreciation, respect, or basic human courtesies.  As we talked more and more about it, it became clear that we would be taking the two builders from the woodshop with us as they were ready to leave for some of the same reasons.  We started to look at the realities of leaving and it got a little scarier.  Sam took a wonderful business class from a local non-profit and put together a business plan that would map out how this was all to take place.  we looked for a building, the tools, and the money all while Sam and his partners continued to work at their soon-to-be old employment.  We found a GREAT building!  It had been on the market for just over a year and they owners owned it outright and were really motivated to sell.  We all decided that purchasing a building in the first year of a business might not be a great idea, so we decided to lease the building for the first year with the option to purchase it at the end of that year.  The old PPG building was in descent shape if we were going to be an automotive store, but in order to turn it into a cabinet and furniture showroom, it would need a lot of work!

The "showroom" used to be an automotive paint store.  Painted white pegboard, dropped acoustical tile ceiling, shop lights, shelving.
This photo was taken from the back right side of of the building looking diagonally to the front left corner.

*Before*

Here is almost the same angle of the "during" photos.  Ceiling torn out, no walls or trim or doorways yet, but it's starting to take shape.

*During*







I don't have a great "after" shot, so I'll go down and take some today and update this post once I have them.  :)

It was hard work for the guys and took a couple of weeks, but the acoustical tile was pulled out exposing a beam ceiling, which looked great by itself.  The painted white peg board was pulled off exposing brick, which the guys sanded down and turned BEAUTIFUL!

  Here is another angle:  *before*

*during*










So, we got the showroom started on the remodel and it turned out gorgeous.  I will load some after pictures today.  The guys got started on the shop and the building of a demo kitchen for the show room.

They built a beautiful kitchen out of rustic cherry including lots of fun accessories.  :)

Once we had some furniture, a functional shop, and a decent showroom, people starting hearing about us.  They starting coming in for bids for kitchens and furniture. 






Well, yesterday was our grand opening.  All of our hopes and dreams are tied into the business and the day the shop is already an up-and-running cash-flowing business!  I think La Grande will love our services, love our guys, and love our products!  I am so very proud of my hubby and the Crist boys for their dedication and vision.  It's been a tough couple of months of preparation with a lot of work required, but we ended up with a beautiful showroom, a wonderful shop, and a successful grand opening! 

More pictures to come....

My 33rd Birthday...

Well, today was my 33rd birthday and although I haven't blogged in...oh....FOREVER!, I thought tonight might be as good a time as any to add a thought or to to this online journal of mine.  :)  First, my birthday.  I've always been pretty weird about traditions.  I grew up LDS and that means that I LOVE the history part of tradition.  I love the idea that something that my family does will be carried down through generations.  It's something that makes my heart happy.  Every year, on my birthday, I write myself a birthday letter.  It something I have done since I was like 15 or so and I haven't missed a year yet.  The letters aren't for anyone but me and I'm the only one who reads them.  I write them to myself on my birthday to be opened the next year.  I talk about all that I have done that year and all that I hope to accomplish in the year to come.  Call me nostalgic (in fact, most of my close friends have assigned this as my super power), but I LOVE it!  :)  So, I'll be starting my letter later on tonight for this year and probably finish writing in tomorrow.  Then it's sealed up and put somewhere safe to be opened on my 34th birthday.  It's always AMAZING to me how much stuff can happen in one year!!

Now, it's getting late and I've had a long day, so I'm not going to blog about all the changes in my life....that will have to come later.  I am going to journal the idea that I had for my 33rd birthday today and how it was one of the best birthdays I have ever had!  :) I came across this "random acts of kindness" page or quote or something the other day and it had some suggestions.  So, I ran with it.  I decided that for my 33rd birthday, I was going to complete 33 acts of kindness on October 11th to commemorate the day of my birth.  It was SO MUCH FUN!!!  I had a complete blast!  I left candy all over campus and books off my bookshelf all with a little note that read: "Today's my special day and I wanted to share it with you!  Please help yourself and have a special day too!" I paid for the coffee of the person in the car behind me and tipped huge at dinner.  I let someone with crying kids go first in the grocery line even though I only had 2 things and she had a huge cart full.  I left quarters taped on vending machines all over campus and washers and dryers at the laundry mat.  I called a stranger who had left the lights on in their "for sale" truck in a parking lot. There were SOOOO many opportunities that presented themselves throughout the day!  I had several pre-planned and thought of ahead of time, but I ended up with more than enough chances to do something kind for someone else.  Some of them were random strangers, some of them I wouldn't know WHO I had touched.  Some of them I know and love and see regularly.  I had a blast!  33 acts all day long!  Then I asked my friends and family to do the same.  I hope the world spread a little extra love in my honor today. 

Ethan didn't quite understand at first.  "But what do you WANT, mom?" he would ask.  I took him with me for the first hour and we did several of the fun giving acts before I dropped him off at school.  Only then did he LOVE and understand it!  :)  Smiles all morning and giggles from the back seat of my car.  Then, when I picked him up from school, I heard all about the 4 things he did for me as my "present" for my birthday.

1.  He let Kenny cut in line.
2. He went to the back of the line at recess and let everyone else go first.
3.  He let a classmate go first at the water fountain
4.  He thanked a teacher.

Even Sam thought I was silly when I told him what I was going to do, but in the end, I think he thought it was a cool idea and I think even he got caught up in it.  What a fun way to spend my birthday!  I am surrounded by amazing friends, family, and students who are supportive, loving, and encouraging to me every day.  It was really fun to spend my entire day giving back to a world that has given me so much.  Happy Birthday to me!  :)  Goodnight.

Father's Day

**warning**may be hard for family to read

Father's day has always been hard for me. My parents divorced when I was 7. My Father was around for every other Thursday and every other weekend. Things I remember about going to visit my dad are:

**getting to steal his room and make him sleep on the couch
**eating BBQ Chicken, corn on the cob, chips, and Reser's Salsa
**visiting grandma and grandpa's house on Silver Lake
**throwing rocks in the river
**crossing the swinging bridge to go to the little store for penny candy on the other side
**playing electric guitars
**swimming in the pool
**always driving a different way to and from him house
**making fun on his old trucks

My dad got very close to both of my brothers as they both lived with him at some point once they were grown and out of the house. My dad and I have a strained if not strange relationship. He has always been frustrating to me and hard for me to understand. He is an alcoholic, so that is the reason (not the excuse) for most of his behavior. I feel like he has let me down one too many times for me to want to have a relationship with him. This weekend, I am feeling pretty good about standing up for myself and making hard decisions to provide the distance from him that I feel I need to keep. He called a few days ago and said he was going to be in Yakima (2 hours north) to visit his parents for the weekend of father's day and indicated that all of his children should come and see him while he was there as his father's day gift from us. I told him I would think about it, but that we had plans for our weekend and Sam was going to work on the house a bit, but I would see what we could do. After thinking about it and discussing things with Sam, we decided to stay home and follow through with the things we had planned here. I have been a little nervous about dad's reaction knowing that he would be mad and upset that we weren't making an effort to see him. I got a text from my Aunt just a while ago saying that dad was a no show. Grandma and grandpa hadn't seen him at all. I hope they went ahead with their plans and enjoyed their weekend anyway. I just can't imagine what would have happened if we had canceled all of our weekend plans, gotten Ethan all excited to take a trip to see grandpa Merlin, driven all the way to Yakima and had him not show up.

I remember the very day I decided not to trust in, rely on, or emotionally invest in my dad anymore. I was probably 16 or 17 and working at Ensign Ranch (right off of I-90). Dad had set up a visit with the boys and me and was going to pick me up and we would go to the tri-cities to pick up my brothers and then head up to dad's house for a few days to visit. I packed my things and arranged for the time off. I took my bags and walked down the driveway to wait at the road because the driveway was about a 1/4 mile. I sat there all day long. When I finally went back and called mom, she said dad had already been there and picked up the boys. I walked back out to the road expecting him "any minute". I sat there until it started to get dark. I took my things and went back to the lodge and called dad's house in Arlington. They were already there. They had driven right by me. When I asked why he didn't stop, he told me they were making good time and they didn't want to take the time to get off the freeway. That's the day (coupled with all things before then) I finally gave up on my dad. Today's no-show was no surprise to me, but I was glad that no one's feelings were hurt this time.

My step-father was abusive. We'll leave his story at that. My mom's current husband is a great guy, but he's not my dad.

So, father's day is hard for me. The only thing I know is that I have had positive male role models all around me my entire life. They have had a dramatic affect on my life and have (in one way or another) made me in to the person I am today. I love them all for the way they care for me. Here are a few of them and the "real" hat they wore in my life:

*Tim R. (uncle) *Hills C. (great grandpa) *Virgil F. (grandpa) *Eddie P. (mom's hubby) *Jonathan K. (former boss) *Peter W. (professor) *Bruce B. (HS teacher) *Gary P. (father-in-law) *Larry H. (former boss) and the list goes on.....

Thank you all, for all that you have shown me and taught me throughout my life whether you knew it or not.

Now...for the up-side of father's day. :) The father of my son! Sam has been a better dad than I ever imagined he would be, and that says a lot as I always knew he would be great! He is patient, kind and loving. The first thing he does after a hard day of work is go looking for our son who hides from him the minute he hears the jeep pull in. He looks in every nook and cranny and plays along by extending the game whenever possible. When he finds him, they tickle and wrestle and talk about their days. Ethan feels at ease with Sam. He feels connected and loved. They talk about everything. Sam is patient and explains things over and over and takes the time with Ethan that our little E-man needs. Sam reads with him and shows Ethan his love through every opportunity. Ethan knows (and will forever know) he can count on his dad. H knows he can tell him anything. He knows that Sam will listen to the whole story and believe what Ethan says. Ethan knows that his daddy will be there when he needs him. He knows that Sam will follow through with what he says and if he can't, there will be a good reason and a solid explanation. Ethan is lucky to see that Sam respects and loves his wife and that he puts me first. He sees Sam and I argue and sees us make up. He sees our physical affection and hears our words of love often.

My son will grow up to be a wonderful man and maybe someday, a wonderful father thanks to Sam's example. I may not have a father who I feel deserves honor on Father's Day, but my son does and always will. I am SO thankful for that! It's more than I could ask! Happy Father's Day to all you Father's out there! I hope you fully enjoy your day and your families! Hold them close and show them love, honor, and respect.

My husband rocks

So, I was lucky enough to marry my best friend. We have things in common, things we do on our own. We have similar views in almost every aspect. We get along swimmingly (as long as does what I say). :)

I know that I am not the easiest person to live with. In fact, I might be one of the harder people on this planet to live with. However, my husband knows just when to stand up to me, just when to back down, when to hold me up, and when to step aside and let me fall a little. He has been my strength through the majority of my life. Now that I am 32, Sam has officially been IN my life for longer than he was NOT.

He has so many wonderful qualities. I don't think I tell him often enough how I feel. I try to show him. Much like it's explained in the wonderful book, "The Five Love Languages", I feel loved through physical affection and that's how I try to SHOW my love as well. Sam's love language is more towards the words of affirmation. That's where I need to be better. Trying to show more respect and love towards my husband through my words.

I'm not saying he's perfect, as no one is. But, he's perfect for me.

I love you, mr. Sam and am very proud of who you are.

I love my job...part 652

So, I am skipping the rest of the blog challenge...unless I want to blog and don't have a topic. :)

I know I say all the time how much I love my job. I just want to say it one more time. Teaching is an amazing thing. When I first started teaching lessons, I just copied what my teacher did with me. I didn't always understand the why behind everything. In fact, in the beginning days when I was still in my undergrad program and teaching a few lessons, I didn't know the why at all. Once I learned the why, it became very important for me to help my students to understand the why as well. I found they were able to make changes sooner and for the better if they understood why I wanted them to do certain exercises or obtain certain techniques.

Then, there are amazing days like today. And really, most of the days so far this year. There are always exceptions, but my students are... interested. :) When students are interested, they ask intelligent questions. They do the work and understand the reasoning behind why I want them to. The start to put two and two together and understand that in music history, they learned who Debussy was and in theory class, they analyzed his chord usage. Now they get to perform his piece. Sometimes they can't link all of those things together, but it's fun to teach them that it's possible to do so. It's fun to see the looks on their faces when they realize that a term they learned in conducting class is now showing up in the song they are singing for their lesson. They may have to look up what it means, but it helps to solidify the understanding that everything they are given is connected. It's music. All of it. Sometimes that is hard for them to grasp.

I introduced one of my voice classes to several different listening examples today. They heard a recording of a castrato, countertenor, contralto, along with several other examples. They were able to use descriptors to talk about and identify what they were hearing. What they liked about a "bright" sound, what they didn't like about a "heavy" sound. I just logged off of facebook where a student was posting at 10:45 pm about the opera singers she was listening to. Would she have been exposed otherwise? Who knows? Add to that the fact that she is also taking voice lessons (along with class voice) and is required by my syllabus to actively listen to 3 hours of music per term. She will hear things this term that she has never heard before. How fun is that? How about the student who is graduating who opened her own studio in the fall and will be providing her first student recital at the end of this month? She has taken her learning and passed it on to others. that's fun too. :) Students who have gone on to teach in classrooms, go into grad school, and audition for opera programs.

It's happening as I get older and teach for a longer period of time. The idea that my students not only have an understanding and working knowledge of their voices, but they develop a passion for a new level of learning. One where they combine their music history and theory and conducting classes with their vocal proficiencies and end up better on the other side. Better people, better learners, better teachers, and better singers. I am so lucky to be able to watch their self-realization and their growth!

To quote a Jason Robert Brown song, "I'm a part of that"! Maybe someone who has never experienced their head voice and had no idea they could sing that high. Or someone who has never been able to stand in front of people yet alone sing in front of them. I get to show them. It's quite an honor that comes with (what I feel is) a great responsibility.

I have had students take voice lessons from within other majors and switch to music and go on to Master's programs in music once they realized they had potential. and she is LOVING every minute of it!!

I am so lucky to have the chance to work with my students. They are all wonderful in their own ways. They must have a lot of faith in me and in themselves to do what I ask of them. To put themselves out on the line and learn to fail in order to succeed. I am so happy that I get the brief moment to guide them on their journey to self discovery. Thank you students of the past, present, and future for your trust and your work. I am so lucky!!

Day 21.

A picture of something that makes me happy? That's ridiculously easy!


My husband is the best man in the world. He's dedicated, hard-working, loving, and the best husband and father out there!











My son. He's amazing. He makes me laugh every day. He's smart and compassionate and turning into quite a wonderful young man. :)
















My family. Family has many different definitions, but my family has carried me through many experiences and I love each and every one of them!

Day 19: a sweet memory from my past

Well, day 19's challenge was to write about a sweet memory from my past. There are a couple of stories that actually have been fresh in my memory very recently for one reason or another. I will share them all (instead of just one).

1) I was probably 10 or 12. I had a tight perm, elephant ears, and bangs and wanted to be Debbie Gibson. I was the "not so cool" kid and my cousins were the "cool" kids. My cousin Jill spent the night and we were driving to school in one of these only yellow with brown paneling and a third seat in the "very back" that faced the back.

Jill and I were in the "very back" and on our way to drop her off at home before school. She was holding up a curling iron and a blow drying the entire way to her house. When I asked why, she informed me that she didn't want people to think that she was ready for the day and she wanted to make sure that they knew she hadn't done her hair. She rode all the way to her house holding up her stuff in the window so everyone could see. I love Jill to death and what's extra funny about this show now is that Jill grew up to be 100% natural and "hippy" like. :) Funny stuff. :)

2) I can remember when my brother Aaron was born. I was about 8 or 9 years old. Aaron was born at home and I can remember the excitement in the house when I went to bed. I remember being woken up and taken in to meet my new baby brother. I already had 2 brothers by this time, but because I was older when Aaron was born, I can remember the really strong "care taker" feelings I had for this tiny crying thing. That day I can remember being the "big sister". The one everyone else would look up to. I also remember being pissed that it was another boy. :)

3) My favorite years growing up were spent in the woods. We lived in the boonies between Marysville, WA and the Tulalip Reservation. It's WAY more developed now, but when we were growing up, there were a lot of trees, animals, and cousins and that's about it. We had rabbits, a horse, cats, the occasional baby cow, and whatever else came across our yard. We had a swinging rope, a big trampoline, and TONS of tree forts and "secret" places. I could walk to grandmas house via the trail in 3 minutes or take the turn off and be at my favorite cousin's house in 4. There was a horse ranch next door and I LOVED horses. They had show arabians and they used to let me help out by mucking stalls and grooming. I loved to walk over and just watch them train. My favorite memories were in this house. This house that my family built from the ground up through sacrifice and over the course of many years. I have so many memories from those formative years. I often think back on those times and yearn to have that much freedom and no worries. When all that mattered was that you were home before dark and you had good manners while you were away. I'm glad for my upbringing and the memories we created.

Day 18 (kind of)...

So...the challenge of writing every day went out the window when I chose to direct a musical and my life got much more hectic than normal. :) However, I did enjoy the challenges each new day offered, so I would like to pick up where I left off and continue. Plus, I think Evylyn uses my blog as a relief break from her school work (which she needs desperately) and I feel bad for not providing it for her. :)

Day 18 of the blog challenge is to write about my plans, dreams, and goals. I see these as very different things in my life. I am a "planning" person and I have a plan for just about everything. I make lists and keep them on my phone. I plan my day by the half-hour and work hard to anticipate every turn. The other thing about me is that usually, when I set my mind to something, I make sure that thing gets accomplished at some point in one way or another. So, my plans, dreams, and goals are typically always in progress.

I guess I can say I have plans to finish my home at some point before my kid graduates high school. Our home has GREAT potential (as does the yard), but paying as you go, doing the work yourself, and paying cash can put a damper on the renovations. However, they are always in progress and it's something that I plan to do in the next 10 years.

My current goals have a lot to do with gaining control over my life. My 20's were spent mostly having a great time and exploring (as it should be), but my 30's have brought more concern into my life. Working to get out of debt and make sure I have a handle on our finances has been a goal of mine for the past 2 years. We are out of debt and are continually striving to keep control over our money in a way that will provide us an opportunity to live with dignity when we are retired and also allow us the finances we'd like to have now to play (and fix the house! :) Along with financial control, also comes control over my physical self. I am constantly battling my body and trying to figure out why it doesn't work very well. I have found the key to success once, but found it difficult to maintain. So...now I have a current goal to get back to where I can feel better about where I am in my striving for health. I know that control can go overboard and I am definitely one who can take it to that place, but for the most part, these are two current goals that I am working toward in my life.

Dreams. Well, I really have to say that I am living my dream. There are things that I would like to experience (see previous posts), but on the whole, I have a wonderful family, wonderful friends, and live in a quaint little town that is perfect for my personality. I go to work every day to do my dream job. A couple of years ago, I saw a need for someone to teach little people the musical skills and give them the exposure I knew would benefit their future. I had a dream and I searched it out and after much encouragement from family and friends, I certified in Kindermusik and started my own business.

I suppose I want the same as most people out of life. I want healthy relationships, prosperity, and happiness for those I love. I dream of a world who loves instead of hates. If anyone thinks that makes me unrealistic, that's their opinion, but I know that I can make choices every day to make a difference for people's experience. I can put a smile on their face, say a kind word, or be a listening ear. I want to be to others what others have been for me. I dream of what some may consider to be a "fairytale land", but I will work towards that dream until it becomes my reality.

Another 2 days worth of blogging. :)

Well, I am not feeling very well today and am home sick, so I thought this might be a great time to catch up on my daily blog. I think it's good that I'm sticking with it and I'm going to ignore the "daily" part. :)

DAY 17: Someone I would like to switch lives with for just one day.

I'm really not sure I want to trade places with anyone. I have a really great life. Granted, I would like to have all the money I wanted so that I could do all the things I want to do, but I'm not sure I would actually TRADE with anyone...not even for a day.

But...for the purpose of thinking outside the box, I guess I would trade with Rick Steves.
I would love to travel the world. Especially if someone else was paying the bill! He gets to go EVERYWHERE!! He is willing to try anything once and learns so much about everywhere he goes! That's who I would trade places with, but if I'm going to trade, maybe more than a day would be good. :)

DAY 18: My future plans, dreams, and goals

• I want my house done. I really really really want my house done. I want it to be finished. I want a finished basement, an enclosed porch, a restored craftsman style, and a BEAUTIFUL and functional backyard. Granted, we are chipping away at it. We are making progress, but progress is taking longer than I want it to. I want to be able to live in it the way I want it once I get it that way. :)
• I want to be able to leave a legacy to my kid. I want to be able to invest my money wisely and spend my money frugally in order to be able to support my child through college and be able to leave him with an inheritance.
• I would be interested in furthering my education.
• I want to travel the world with my family. I want them to see the Duomo and the Swiss Alps. I have many goals and dreams in life. Most of which, I am currently working on or towards.

Day 16: A picture of me

Well, lucky me! :) I just had head shots done. :) Just in time! Here is my Day 16 blog challenge. Thank you, Perfect Moments Photography by Amberlee Harder!! :) She does weddings/senior photos/family photos/you name it.... :)

Day 15 of my blog challenge: My biggest success in life....

I have been very lucky AND blessed to have a lot of success in my life. At least, I think of them as successes. I have a great house, a great job, a wonderful kid, and I live in a quaint town that loves me. I graduated from high school and college and have everything I wanted from life (so far).

If I had to nail down my BIGGEST success in my life so far, I think it would be my marriage. 11.5 years ago, I married my high school sweetheart. We had been dating off and on at that point (mostly on) for about 5 years. He asked me to dance on December 3rd at the high school dance and it was love from then on.

The world was pretty much out to get us from the start. His family was full of devout Pentecostals and mine were as LDS as you could find. Everyone warned us not to even date. We enjoyed each others company, made each other laugh and had a good deal in common. There is a lot of story behind the process of what followed, but suffice it to say that neither one of us are currently either of those denominations. We were bound and determined to be together no matter what as we knew that we were two halves of one whole. We got married and finished college. We had WONDERFUL adventures and a lot of learning to do together. I had to learn not to be linked so very tightly to my other family and Sam had to learn how to become his own person instead of what everyone always wanted him to be. We traveled together and spent time getting to know one another. We were married for 5 years before deciding to have our little guy.

My grandparents have been happily married 61.5 years. My other set of grandparents were married exactly 50 years (to the day) before my grandpa passed. Otherwise, divorce can be found all over my family. My mother married 2 times before finding her 3rd and final husband and friend. I didn't have a lot of great examples on what marriage should be. I saw a lot of fighting, but not much making up. I didn't see a lot of communication, but I knew it would be important in a relationship.

In our marriage, I feel we have both worked very hard (sometimes harder than others) to make sure to communicate, understand each other, and work together for the same goal. It hasn't always been easy. We both have our faults and our "pet peeves", but we love each other.

I feel like my biggest success in life is my marriage. Without my husband, I wouldn't have any of the successes mentioned above. None of them. He has truly been my rock and my shoulder and without him, I don't know where I would be, but it wouldn't be where I am today. He is my true love.

Day 14 of my challenge...(and 12 and 13 too)...

So, things got away from me the last couple of days and I haven't been able to be at my computer. What does that mean? I will tell you. It's been about 48+ hours or so since I have been able to sit at a computer for any length of time. When I logged onto our personal email this morning, there were 11 messages waiting for me. Now, that may not seem like a lot, but it's a lot for us. After reading, responding and processing through those, I logged into Kindermusik and I had 13. I read, responded, and processed those and logged onto my EOU email where I had 12. Mostly mass emails, so I could get through that list pretty quickly. I checked my facebook where I had 3 messages and 16 comments on things. There were well over 300+ new posts on my newsfeed, so I read through some of those and purposely visited a few people's walls to check in on what was up with them and now, here I am. :) Not to mention that I went to bed early last night (8:30) and woke up at 6 and when I turned my phone on, I had 4 messages! 4!! Between 9pm and 6am. I say all this because many days my email inboxes have NOTHING in them and my phone never rings. I was just surprised. :)

Now for my blog challenge. I am behind, so I will be putting them all in this blog.
DAY 12: 3 THINGS PEOPLE ARE SHOCKED TO LEARN ABOUT ME
I have lived many different lives. The people who are part of my life now are most surprised to learn about my other lives and the people from my other life are often surprised to learn about my current one. I will go with what people I am current associated with are shocked to learn about me. Narrowing to 3 will be a little tricky. :)

1. I grew up LDS for most of my life. I won Book of Mormon scripture chases, was a Young Women's leader, went to girl's camp every year, and worked on an LDS ranch called "Ensign Ranch" for about 6 summers of my life. Some of my best memories of my past, I might add.
   
2. I am the oldest of 9 children. Most people know this about me, but even the ones who know this were surprised when they learned it and every new person I tell is surprised. I don't know why it's surprising. I'm bossy and controlling. Duh. Where did they think I got that? :) Also, I think people have a fascination with big families.
3. I failed my first term of my freshman year of college. I graduated EOU with ??? 3.8? Pretty awesome grades. Now I teach there. I can relate to my struggling freshman in a way no one else can. I had a 1.6 GPA at the end of my first term at CWU and was put on academic probation. I don't fail many things, so that's always a little surprising for people to learn.
   

DAY 13: MY 5 FAVORITE BOOKS AND WHY
This is always a hard question to answer. I love to read when I have the time to do so and I read many different kinds of books. I do have a top 5 list, but it could change at any moment. I'll give you my current top 5.

1. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. The first time I read this book, I was enlightened about our ethnocentrism and the idea of religious conversion in other cultures. I love her writing style in this book. She takes on each character devoting the chapter and the style of that person. The first-person narrative of EVERY character. Well written. Good story. Something to ponder. Everything that a good book should have. :)





2. The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey. Granted, I don't fully agree with EVERY principle in his plan, but we worked his plan by creating a zero-balance budget, living within our means, and using Dave's "debt snowball" plan, we were able to pay off $23,000 in debt in about 16 months. We are now working on baby step 3 which is having a fully-funded emergency fund with 3-6 months of expenses in it. I am finally sleeping at night and not worried about where I finances go as I tell every dollar what to do. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!


3. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese. I recently read this with my book club. I loved the story and grew a strong connection with the characters. I think what I loved the most was the writing. It was almost hypnotic. Some of the reviewers of this book and other that have read it said it was slow. This is one case were I thought slow was good. Just like enjoying every bite of a good piece of chocolate cheesecake. I loved every word and the way the story was told by the author. It sucked me in. No, it's not a page-turner, but I would say it's quite a work of art. :)





4. Life of Pi by Yann Martel. This was another book club book. I enjoyed reading this book very much. The story was incredible and very well told. I HATED THE ENDING!! I think my love/hate relationship with the way this author treated his story is why it makes my top 5. I have read it over and over again just so that I could have a different perspective. I appreciate the story for what it is and enjoy the picture it paints. I did not like that he threw a can of paint on his canvas at the end. :( :) Mixed feelings, but highly recommended reading. :)




5. The Curious Incident of the dog in the night-time by Mark Haddon. I think this book made my top 5 because if it's uniqueness. I seem to be drawn to that. It's unique in a similar way to my number 1. It's written from the perspective of 15 year old autistic boy. Even the pages are numbered with prime numbers. It sucked me in so much that I often times had to check the back to look at the author and read his bio and I often found myself wondering if this was his biography. He seemed to understand the inner workings of the autistic mind so well, it was VERY interested writing. The story and/or plot of the book was not the point and not why I loved it. The writing style and character choices were fantastic.

Also on the top of my reading list are several other authors (regardless of which book they wrote): Anita Shreve, Bill Bryson, David Sedaris, Jan Karon, Nevada Barr, Jodi Picoult, and Mitch Albom.

DAY 14: PICTURE OF ME AND MY FAMILY
Family has always been a little difficult for me to decipher. I was so close to extended family growing up that it was hard for me to separate from them to create my own family. I will be including several pictures of family. The first is the most recent???? (YEARS old) one that we took our our little family.....Then there is my group of siblings and their families:

Top: This Christmas at mom's
Left: Chris and Danielle in Florida
Right: Nick and Amanda in N. Carolina








Then there is extended family....the Forney's from Forney Reunion version 20.10:
Then of course, there are all those who are family and not pictured here. All my in-laws, all my aunts, uncles, and cousins on my mom's side, and the friends who might as well BE family.